Baked Salmon Burgers with Chive "Cream" Sauce

Taken from page 365 of our Clean Cuisine book, I make these baked salmon burgers a lot on weekend nights. It’s a great recipe for casual entertaining and the ideal seafood dinner for anyone who typically doesn’t like to eat fish, including kids!

I always serve these burgers with a side of corn on the cob along with a nice green salad (lately I am absolutely crazy for mache lettuce) with finely sliced radishes. My husband, son and his friends always have the burger on a toasted sprouted whole grain bun (I use Food for Life brand), but many times I skip the bun because the sides, the burger and the chive “cream” sauce can be pretty filling. The cream sauce is not made with dairy, by the way. I suppose I should say a word or two about that…

Dairy-Free Chive “Cream” Sauce

Both dairy-free and oil-free, the chive “cream” sauce gets its creaminess from pureed hemp seeds and pine nuts. I realize this seems like an odd combination, but it works. And it’s good. Really, really good!  You do need to have a high-speed blender to make the sauce truly creamy though. As always, I can’t say enough great things about the performance of my Vitamix for creamy sauces like this.

Be Sure To Use WILD Sockeye Salmon

This recipe calls for canned wild sockeye salmon for the absolute cleanest and most nutritious choice. Read more about the top 15 tips for choosing the best fish HERE.

Baked Salmon Burgers with Chive “Cream” Sauce

Serves: 6

Chive Cream Sauce

• ¼ cup pine nuts
• ¼ cup hemp seeds
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon unrefined sea salt
• 3 to 4 tablespoons water (use 3 tablespoons if you want a thicker sauce and 4 tablespoons if you want a thinner sauce)

1.   Place all the ingredients in a high-speed blender (such as a Vitamix) or mini food processor; blend or process until smooth and creamy. Set aside.

Baked Salmon Burgers

• 2 slices toasted sprouted whole grain bread, broken into bite-size pieces
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 shallots, minced
• 2 celery ribs, minced
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
• 1 can (15 ounces) wild sockeye salmon (such as Vital Choice), drained
• 2 organic pastured eggs (such as Vital Farms), lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons organic Worcestershire sauce (such as Annie’s Naturals)
• 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
• Stone-ground cornmeal, for dusting (medium-grind)

1. Place the bread and garlic in a food processor and pulse into bread crumbs. Set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat; add the shallots and celery and sauté until soft, about 8 minutes. Stir in the parsley. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl.
3. To the vegetable mixture, add the salmon (flaking the fish apart with a fork), eggs, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and Old Bay seasoning. Using your hands, combine the ingredients to mix well. Add in the reserved bread crumbs and mix well.
4. Divide the mixture into six ½-cup portions and form into 6 patties, pressing each together with your hands. Sprinkle both sides of each patty with cornmeal. Transfer the patties to a large platter and place in the freezer for 10 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 400º F
6. Remove the patties from the freezer and heat a thin layer of oil in a large heavy ovenproof skillet (such as Xtrema® 100% ceramic cookware ); when the skillet is hot carefully add 3 patties and cook for about 1½ minutes per side, or until they have a light golden crust. Repeat with the remaining patties. Transfer the patties to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Serve warm with chive cream sauce.